Fashion Scholarship Fund Case Study Competition: Win up to $25,000
DEADLINE: Oct. 12, 2026 Interested in fashion? Win up to a $25,000 scholarship, along with opportunities for internships and mentorship within the industry.
From the Fund: “The Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) is a national nonprofit organization that works directly with the country’s most talented young students and awards over $1.9 million each year in scholarships to help these students succeed in all sectors of the industry including design and product development, merchandising, marketing, and business strategy. As further support to its scholars, the FSF facilitates internships with prestigious fashion companies and provides mentorship by prominent senior executives and FSF alumni. As a prospective scholar, the first step to joining a community of future leaders of fashion is to compete in the Fashion Scholarship Fund Case Study competition. Divided into four disciplines, the FSF case study challenges students of many backgrounds to solve problems facing today’s fashion industry.”
Several Harvard students have won this prestigious scholarship, including Harlow Tong ’28, Claire Swadling ’26, and Chibuike Uwakwe ’23. Check out their winning case studies: Tong ’28, Swadling ’26, Uwakwe ’23.
TO APPLY: Create an account. FSF strongly encourages all eligible applicants sign in and create a profile as soon as possible. Applicants who create a profile will receive FSF monthly communication to maintain a level of engagement, and reminders to stay on track to submit their completed case studies by October 12, 2026 at 11:59 AM EST. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.2 and at time of deadline, be a full-time sophomore (Class of ’29), junior (Class of ’28), or senior (graduating Spring 2027). Be sure to review the comprehensive How to Apply Guide for all the details.
The topic for the 2027 competition is Unlocking Hidden Potential: Identifying High Value Consumer Groups.
2027 Case Study Prompts:
– Design & Product Development
– Business Strategy
– Marketing
– Merchandising
Tips from previous winners:
Claire Swadling ’26
“Participating in the FSF Case Study Scholarship has been one of the best decisions of my college career–I’m so glad that MCS helped me discover the opportunity! I created a case study on how Coachtopia, Coach’s sustainability arm, could integrate a Metaverse experience into their business strategy as part of the AI theme. I later found out that in addition to being named a FSF Scholar, I’m also a PVH Forward Fashion named scholar, meaning that I’ll get extra exposure to the industry through a specific brand! I highly recommend the program to any college student (sophomores and above)–in addition to the scholarship, once you become a FSF scholar, the FSF team is very proactive about helping students secure employment (internship or full time) in the fashion industry (merchandising, designing, etc) at top firms. I’ve also gotten the opportunity to participate in scholar-exclusive networking activities and meet tons of amazing industry leaders and fellow students!
My biggest tip for prospective applicants is to have a good idea of what you want your finished product to look like: since past winners are posted on the FSF website, it’s easy to see what a winning case study looks like. I encourage you to also think about why the Top Four Finalists each year stood out. Beyond that, it’s helpful to look at different case study discipline cases (business, merchandising, marketing, design) to decide which best suits your interests. Even if you don’t have previous fashion experience, spend some time thinking about your strengths and which discipline would highlight them the most. My last tip is to start early–I probably put two full day’s worth of work into my case, and I really wish I would’ve spread that out more! I suggest conducting preliminary research on your topic while brainstorming layouts, then finishing your research, and finally focusing on slide design.”
Harlow Tong ’28
“The Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) case study challenge is organized into four competition categories, each built around an annual theme. I chose to do a business case study and my year’s theme was collaboration across industries. I chose to do a case study on a potential collaboration between Nike and Nvidia’s omniverse, an AI simulation with design features.
While creating a pitch deck is daunting, especially for someone like me who didn’t have any fashion industry experience, there are core skills that are applicable to this project that everyone has. The most important part of this project is creativity. No matter which category you choose to do, a unique idea is essential to win.
Next it is important to understand the criteria thoroughly. The fund provides a template for what a pitch deck should include and following it precisely is a must. The last piece of advice I would give is to study past winners relentlessly, what helped me win was studying as many previous business case submissions as I could, which helped me understand what works, what stands out, and how to elevate my own approach.'”
Questions? Contact Amy DiGiovine, Assistant Director for Arts, Entertainment, Media, Advertising, Marketing, Journalism, Publishing, Fashion & Sports at MCS for additional information.
